Mercedes Just Revealed a Virgil Abloh-Designed Maybach

The show car is a study in contrasts

Project MAYBACH
Project MAYBACH, Mercedes-Maybach and Virgil Abloh, 2021.
Mercedes-Benz AG - Global Commun

News of the death of artist and designer Virgil Abloh shocked a host of his colleagues and collaborators, many of whom have taken to social media to pay tribute to a creative voice who left this world far too early. Given the number of companies and artists that Abloh collaborated with over the course of his career, logic dictates that we might still see previously unseen collaborations announced in the weeks and months to come.

And sure enough, Mercedes-Benz just revealed their own collaboration with Abloh — dubbed Project MAYBACH. An article at Robb Report has more details on the collaboration, which follows Abloh’s previous collaboration with Mercedes-Benz on Project Geländewagen.

This show car was designed by Abloh and Gorden Wagener, and it involves turning a Mercedes-Maybach vehicle into an off-road coupe. And while its show car status means we’re unlikely to see a production version of this, certain details from Project MAYBACH sound especially intriguing, such as solar cells designed to increase its range.

The energy-efficient elements of this car’s design are only one of the notable features associated with it. There’s also the fact that it’s really, really big — around six meters from end to end. Writing at Robb Report, Bryan Hood described it as “a curious amalgamation of luxury sedan and off-road vehicle that works surprisingly well.”

That blend of elegance and contrasts makes for a memorable vehicle, as does the application of energy-efficient technology. It’s a bittersweet tribute to a designer whose work encompassed numerous industries.

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